


The Calm Before the Storm

by Pandora151



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24186670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandora151/pseuds/Pandora151
Summary: Quiet moments between brother and sister, before everything changes.
Relationships: Aberforth Dumbledore & Ariana Dumbledore
Comments: 11
Kudos: 16
Collections: Hurt Comfort Exchange 2020





	The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EssayOfThoughts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EssayOfThoughts/gifts).



> Hello! This fic is for EssayOfThoughts, for the Hurt Comfort Exchange 2020.
> 
> This is my very first time writing Harry Potter, and, by extension, my first time writing these characters (and I'm super nervous about it ahhhhh). So yeah! Sorry if there are any inaccuracies or OOC-ness.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

The world was much too quiet and much too loud—at the same time.

Aberforth groaned, shifting himself slowly until he lay on his stomach, covering his head with his pillow.

His temples pulsed a staccato beat that rang into his skull, and bile climbed up his throat, burning and disgusting.

He opened his eyes to a slit, noting the bright sunlight slipping through his curtains, slamming directly onto his eyes.With a quiet gasp, he closed his eyes, moving his head to turn away from the window.

Throbbing pain traveled up his neck, through the back of his skull, into his forehead.

He reached for the blankets bunched around his waist, haphazardly pulling them up until they were pulled over his head, blocking him away from _everything_ from the outside.

It was too much—way, way too much.

A part of him knew he had to get up, check on Ariana, eat breakfast, and see if his O.W.L. scores had arrived yet.If today was going to be like any of the last few weeks, Albus was already gone for the day.

_Get up.Come on._

Taking a deep breath, Aberforth squeezed his eyes shut, shoving his blanket off of his face.He sat up, only to feel the pain stabbing deeper into his skull as bright lights seemed to hover in front of his vision.

The migraine he felt sitting at the base of his skull late last night had clambered its way into existence while he was asleep, and now it was too much.

His head spun, and he found himself falling backwards, collapsing onto his back, eyes clenched shut.

Distantly, he heard the door open, but he couldn’t make much sense of it.

“Ab?”

The word was quiet, a gentle whisper carried through the wind.

Ariana.

He felt the vibrations of soft footsteps approaching him, followed by the bed sinking slightly as she sat down next to him.

“Is it your head?”

A part of him wished Ariana did not know about his headaches—it was embarrassing enough, to be incapacitated in this way.But Ariana _needed_ him to be the strong one.He had to be there for her whenever she needed him.

It should not be the other way around.

Albus was certainly _aware_ of it, but he’d spent more time with Grindelwald than with his own siblings in the past few weeks, to the point that he wouldn’t find out about the headache until after the fact.

It wasn’t fair of him to pin all the blame on Albus—he was looking after the family now, but…

His stomach curled as pain stabbed into the right side of his head.He groaned, curling into himself before a hand rested itself on his shoulder.

“Ari,” he whispered, and he felt the hand move from his shoulder to his forehead.

“Move over, Ab.”

He shifted, feeling his younger sister curl up next to him, settling her head next to his on the pillow.Out of instinct, he opened his eyes, hissing as the movement stabbed into his head.

“It’s alright,” Ariana whispered, and he closed his eyes, struggling to relax.A hand rested itself on top of his head, massaging gently.“Just sleep.”

“But—” His voice cracked painfully in his throat.

“Just sleep,” Ariana repeated, voice quiet and soothing.

Aberforth exhaled, feeling the reassuring warmth of Ariana’s hand rubbing his scalp.

“I will be here when you wake.”

With a quiet sigh, he slipped into a deep slumber.

* * *

When he woke up about an hour later, Ariana was lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling.She was holding a strand of hair in a hand, studying it carefully.

“Ariana?” he croaked.

Dropping her hand, she turned her head towards him.“You’re awake,” she said, and her hand moved back to his forehead, as though she could somehow feel the migraine through simple touch.“Are you feeling better?”

His head ached, but it was a duller pain than what he remembered from before, certainly something more manageable.

“Yes,” he murmured.“Sorry if I scared you.”

He knew that Ariana worried about him whenever this happened, and he wished that he wouldn’t cause her so much stress.

Ariana hummed softly.“It isn’t your fault,” she said, smiling gently.

The smile was unconvincing, a mere shadow compared to the smiles Aberforth remembered from…before.

Before Grindelwald, before Mum’s death, before… _everything_.

As though she could read his thoughts, Ariana’s smile faded, and she slumped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling again.

“I…Can we talk, Ab?” she asked, voice shaking.

Aberforth slowly pulled himself up, closing his eyes as the room spun around him.Once the dizziness passed, he opened his eyes, looking down at his sister.Ariana moved herself until she sat right next to him, both of them leaning back against the headboard.

Ariana’s mouth tightened into a grimace.

“I…I’m worried about Albus,” she admitted.“It’s—it’s my fault, Ab, and I think he might be overworking himself.He’s never _here_.”

Aberforth sighed softly.“He’s been spending more time with Grindelwald,” he replied.“I’m worried, too.But Ariana, none of this is your fault—do you understand?”

Ariana’s mouth tightened again, eyes bright and glistening.

“I…” Her voice trembled.“What happened to Mum was my fault, you know that—”

Without a second thought, Aberforth wrapped his arms around her, bringing her head onto his shoulder.

Ariana let out a quiet sob, trembling as her hands clutched onto his nightshirt.

“It’s not your fault,” he said, voice shaking.“Do you hear me, Ariana?None of this is your fault.”

Aberforth felt her tremble again.He whispered quiet reassurances, letting himself be the source of comfort that Ariana so desperately needed.

After a few moments, Ariana sniffled, carefully pulling herself away and leaning back against the headboard.

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence.Aberforth closed his eyes, carefully leaning his head back against the headboard.He felt exhausted, wrung-out, as though the migraine had sapped away all of the energy he would normally have in the mornings.

“Ab?”

He opened his eyes, humming in response.

“I feel like—something is not right about Grindelwald,” Ariana admitted, her fingers tangled in the thick folds of his blanket.

Aberforth let out another sigh.“I know,” he murmured. 

Over the past few days, he’d been thinking about speaking to Albus about it.In a few weeks, Aberforth would have to return to Hogwarts, which meant Albus and Ariana would be alone—except Albus would continue his…plotting with Grindelwald, and that would result in Ariana being dragged along with them.

No—he would _not_ allow that to happen, no matter what.Ariana would not be in any state for it, especially without Aberforth.

“Don’t worry,” Aberforth said.“I’ll speak to him; it will be alright.”

The ache gnawing in his temples pulsed slightly, and he groaned, bringing up a hand to rub at them.He closed his eyes, feeling Ariana tugging at his sleeve until he was lying back down.He relaxed into the mattress, letting the tightness set in his shoulders melt away.

“I’m sorry for bothering you like this when you’re not well, Ab,” she whispered, voice lilting with the quietness of the wind.

“No,” he murmured, reaching blindly for her and feeling her hand grab onto his with surprising strength.“I’m fine; don’t worry about me.”

He felt her shift until she was lying down next to him, her hand still holding onto his.

“Just sleep now, big brother,” Ariana replied, pressing her free hand to his forehead.“I’ll be here—I’ll _always_ be here.”

And she would always be there for him—no matter what, until the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
